5. Advertising

Newspapers and magazines are usually the main source of vacancies information. Most advertisements use abbreviated forms to announce conditions of employment, especially in the “small ad” section for appointment:

Wntd sec. full-time fr smll mnfg co. Gd slry, 5-day week, hrs 9-5 usl bnfts. (Wanted, secretary for full-time employment for small manufacturing company. Good salary, five days a week, hours of work 09.00 – 17.00, and the usual benefits in terms of conditions and holidays.)

Most companies recruit new staff by advertising in the press. Pages with job advertisements are usually headed appointments. They contain descriptions or specifications of the sort of people the advertiser is looking for. Qualification (degrees, diplomas, certificates) are obviously important, but experience may count much more. The aim is to attract a small number of well-qualified applicants so that it is fairly easy to make a short list of the people you actually want to interview. If the advertisement is not specific enough, hundreds of people will send in their applications; but if it demands too much, they may be discouraged from applying at all.

Advertisements

No 1

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

PORTUGAL

THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

for an experienced

GENERAL-SALES MANAGER

We are the largest and leading company – operating in 25 countries – in our industry. Based in Switzerland and well implemented in all European markets, we are looking for the General-Sales Manager and/or Partner for our future Portugal operation.

Candidates are requested to send a СV, past experiences to:

Mr R. Drummer

AMC International AG, Buonaserstrasse 30, CH 6343 Rotkreuz.

No 2

SECRETARIAL POSITIONS AVAILABLE

THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

seeks a

BILINGUAL EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

• English mother tongue

• Fluent French

• Word processing experience

• Proven organizational skills

• EU national or in possession of valid working papers.

Send letter and CV, quoting reference to:

Gudrun Aichele International Herald Tribune

92521 Neuilly Cedex, France.

No 3

FACULTY OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION STUDIES

Department of Computing

SENIOR

LECTURER

up to £19,476 pa (pay award pending)

An excellent opportunity for a computing professional to join the team of this lively and expanding department from January 1, 2002.

Your qualifications or experience must equip you to contribute in the following areas:

Project/Systems Management

Structured Systems Analysis and Design

The Department is involved in a range of collaborative projects and you would be expected to play a leading role with industrial/commercial liaison, research and consultancy.

Candidates new to teaching will receive assistance.

For an informal discussion, telephone A.T. Whitehouse,

Head of Department of Computing, on 021-331 5620.

Application forms (returnable by 26 October, 2001) and further details available from:

Personnel Department,

Birmingham Polytechnic,

Feeney Building, Perry Barr,

Birmingham B42 2SU.

Telephone: [phone].

Please Quote reference 29.

An equal opportunities employer.

6. Correspondence while Applying for a Position

The word job should not be used either in advertisements or applications. The terms vacancy, post, position or opening are more appropriate.

In replying to an advertisement keep your letter brief, but provide essential details about yourself and remember to give a date and reference. Your curriculum vitae (c.v.) or resume should be mentioned in the second paragraph of a letter answering the advertisement.

Some companies do not send application forms, but prefer applicants to supply a C.V. (resume) which is your personal and working history. The difference between a resume and C.V. is in the volume of information: a resume should be detailed enough but brief (not more than 1 page) and a CV includes the information up to 6-8 pages.

There should be a covering letter with applications forms and c.vs. either explaining points that might not be clear, or giving further information to emphasize your suitability for the post. But keep this as brief as possible, as most application forms or c.vs. should have a section where this information can appear.

When writing to a prospective employer, remember to explain why you left your previous post, but do not complain about the salary or conditions. Concentrate rather on the positive aspects of the post you are applying for, such as the greater potential for promotion, or your particular suitability for the type of work offered. Explain what you can offer your new employer in terms of experience or expertise, and why you particularly want the post.

In explanation of previous experience you should stress your responsibilities and authority in the company (-ies), projects you undertook, changes you effected or schemes you introduced.

All companies will want to know why you are applying for a particular position. This is not only means explaining why you want the job but why you think your particular skills and experience would be valuable to the firm.

At the end of the letter look forward to the interview and offer to supply more information if necessary.

The covering letter for a c.v. includes the information the applicant feels is relevant to the advertised position, and explanation why he is applying for this particular vacancy and the qualities he can offer the company. Three references are usually enclosed to the covering letter.

There are various layouts for a c.v. Some c.vs. may have a section for supplementary information: reasons for the applying for the position, leaving previous job, personal qualities and skills which the candidate feels are relevant to the job.

Letters to successful applicants can vary in length and detail depending on the type of post. A company will welcome the new employee and ask for written confirmation of acceptance. In the UK, the law demands that firms offer contracts of employment, and these are often sent with letters offering a job, asking the applicant to sign one copy and return it with their confirmation.

Letters confirming that you accept a position can be brief, as long as they mention the relevant points.

There are various reasons why a company may not offer a candidate a job: lack of qualification, competence, etc., but it is rare for a candidate to be told why he or she has been refused.